A team with a talented, young core, a seemingly open window of opportunity for a Stanley Cup run or two and the chance to be one of the National Hockey League’s premier goalies for years to come?

Sign Connor Hellebuyck up.

That’s exactly what the Winnipeg Jets did on Thursday as they made a long-term commitment to Hellebuyck, a now-former restricted free agent, with a six-year contract extension worth $37 million. The new deal carries through the 2023-24 season.

“This is exciting for many reasons, but mainly because I love it here and I want to be a part of this team,” Hellebuyck said just moments after putting pen to paper on his new deal in the team’s dressing room at Bell MTS Iceplex. “I really believe this team has what it takes.”

Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made the Vezina runner-up this past season the sixth-highest paid goalie in the NHL with an annual average value of $6.167 million.

“Helle’s always been projected in our minds as a No. 1 goaltender and the goaltender of the future for us and we were very, very excited that we were able to come to a long-term agreement for now and the future,” Cheveldayoff said.

That kind of dough puts Hellebuyck in the upper echelon of puck stoppers, behind only Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens ($10.5 million AAV), Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers ($8.5 million AAV), Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets ($7.425 million AAV, Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins ($7 million AAV) and Pekka Rinne ($7 million AAV).

It’s big money that comes with big expectations.

“I’ve always believed in myself and I have the right people around me,” Hellebuyck said. “I have the right agent, the right organization, the right trainer and the right goalie coaches to help me succeed. Any time something falters, we know what to fall back on.”

Great seasons get rewarded in the NHL and snapping up a goalie that put up a .931 save percentage in five-on-five situations in his second full season is well worth the price of admission.

Hellebuyck ranked fifth among starters in xSv% — a save percentage metric that accounts for shot quality — putting him well above average in a statistic that is used as a predictor for future success.

“I expect the most out of myself and I want everyone to expect the most out of me,” Hellebuyck said. “I want to bring my A-plus game every single night… that’s the key for this team, everyone wanting to do more.”

Hellebuyck is coming off an outstanding season in which he appeared in a career-high 67 games (64 starts).

The 25-year-old from Commerce, Mich., set single-season franchise records for victories (44, which also set a new NHL mark for wins by an American-born goalie, passing Tom Barrasso’s record of 43 set in 1992-93 with the Pittsburgh Penguins), shutouts (six) and save percentage (.924) and then followed that up with an impressive showing during the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Jets reached the Western Conference final.

Given the bevy of talent the Jets have with the likes of Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele, Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey, committing his own future to Winnipeg was a simple decision.

“Just because I’ve settled in and the fans are great, the organization is great and I’ve got along with the team here, the chemistry is built,” Hellebuyck said. “I think the tools are in this locker room to be a championship team. And that’s fun. It’s fun to play. And that’s the reason we grew up playing, to have this kind of chance and to go after this dream.”

Hellebuyck said Cheveldayoff’s commitment to the future with long-term deals for Nikolaj Ehlers, Scheifele and others played a part in his decision to stay in Winnipeg.

“I think it says it all, I think they believe in us,” Hellebuyck said. “They really, truly think the character in this room is going to get us a championship. I think everyone in this locker room believes the same thing.”

Cheveldayoff said Hellebuyck knows he’s a part of something growing in Winnipeg.

“I don’t think that, to a man, there’s anyone that says we’ve arrived,” Cheveldayoff said. “There’s a lot of work left to be done. And I think the underlying thing here is that Connor wants to be a part of that and feels that he can be a big part of that.”

Hellebuyck was one of five Jets restricted free agents that had elected to file for salary arbitration, so this takes one potential case off the docket.

The four remaining Jets who had filed for arbitration include defenceman Jacob Trouba and forwards Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev and Marko Dano.

The Jets sit $20.5 million under the $79.5 million salary cap in place for the upcoming season, with Morrissey, Trouba and Lowry expected to account for much of that.

Meanwhile, Hellebuyck spoke for the first time since the Jets signed his new backup netminder for next season.

Cheveldayoff added former Edmonton Oilers backstop Laurent Brossoit on July 1 after they shipped out Steve Mason to the Montreal Canadiens in a salary dump move.

Hellebuyck knows Brossoit from his time training at NET360 in Kelowna during the summer.

“He’s a great guy. I think we’re going to have a blast together,” Hellebuyck said. “Just the fact we do the same stuff and we train the same way during the year. There’s not going to be any hiccups it’s going to be smooth sailing.”

Hellebuyck said he’ll be back in the program for two more weeks over the next two months as he prepares for the upcoming season.

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